AS ref: “It’s not a penalty for Barcelona, it’s a foul by Suárez”

Barcelona went ahead in their Champions League last 16 second leg tie against Lyon when Messi converted a penalty given by referee Marciniak.

Leo Messi scored the opening goal of the last 16 second leg Champions League match between Barcelona and Lyon from the penalty spot with a deft panenka. The penalty was given after Denayer supposedly brought down Luis Suárez in the box, however for our resident referee, Eduardo Iturralde González, there was no penalty and in fact it was Suárez who committed a foul.

Suárez stands on Denayer

Szymon Marciniak, the Polish referee in charge of the match, awarded a penalty and the VAR, having reviewed the action, didn’t correct him. In the incident Denayer went for the ball along the ground but failed to get it. Suárez ended up standing on him and falling over.

“For me it’s not a penalty because it’s Suárez who initiates contact by standing on the defender”, said Iturralde, an opinion not shared by referee Marciniak or his fellow official in the VAR booth.

After the match Luis Suárez admitted he had stood on the defender saying "I think I stepped on the defender without meaning to and it destabilised me a little bit".